STATE REPRESENTATIVE MARIE DONIGAN (D-ROYAL OAK)

If Marie Donigan had her way 18 year olds would be able to vote... assuming they took a blood oath and pledged their eternal and undying loyalty no matter her ethical, personal or professional missteps.  Donigan is one of two State Representatives who aren't just facing recalls over their job killing support of massive Democrat tax hikes but have actually had language approved clearing the way for the signature gathering process to begin.

By law, to file a recall petition a person must be a legal resident and a registered voter in the district represented by the lawmaker he or she seeks to recall.  According to the Detroit News Donigan is facing a recall filed by a young man who meets ever legal criteria.  That didn't stop her from filing suit to have his petition stricken and personally attacking the man because of his age.

The petition from county resident Bret Moon stated that Donigan voted yes on 2007 House Bill 5194 "to increase the income tax to 4.35 percent" and yes on House Bill 5198 "to impose new 6 percent taxes on certain services." Both bills were signed into law by Gov. Jennifer Granholm. "It's my information Mr. Moon just turned 18 and has never even voted in the district," Donigan said.

So?  He just turned 18.  What does the law say?  Last I checked 18 was old enough to vote, to fight and die in defense of one's nation, to smoke, to be held fully accountable as an adult in criminal court, to support oneself absent parental influence and control and yes, to file a petition to recall a tax-hiking job killer.  

Of course Donigan's suit doesn't reference Mr. Moon's age.  She's only using that one to belittle the man in the court of public opinion (apparently he's too young to make his own decisions but he's not too young to be attacked by a sitting member of the state legislature).  Her actual suit seeks to toss out the petition language because it's "unclear."  Except that it isn't.  It couldn't be clearer.

It contains several statements of absolute fact.  Fact that is, by the way, on the record (you can check it out here and here).  Marie Donigan voted YES to raise the income tax on struggling Michigan families by nearly $800 million.  She also voted YES to raise the sales tax on services by $613 million while simultaneously imposing a $900 million cost of compliance.

All told that's about $2.3 BILLION in new taxes, the largest, most sweeping tax hike in the history of Michigan, legislatures, tax hikes and history.

And sadly, that's not the worst of it... she's voted on the wrong side of tax issues right around one hundred times this year alone.  But it's the big two that have her staring down the barrel of a recall.  

Still, should Mr. Moon or anyone else like to make their case to the voters of the 26th district, there's lots of evidence.  A wanton disregard for well understood and personally accepted economic principles directly leading, knowingly, to job losses, for example.  Donigan is no dummy and this isn't her first term in the legislature.  She knows that if you want less of something you just tax it.  If you want more, lower the tax.  

She offered proof of that personal knowledge in her own words on a candidate questionnaire before last Novembers elections.  She offered Gannett News Services when asked about preferred targets for tax breaks, for example:

Tax incentives should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis to determine their costs (lost tax revenues) and benefits (new jobs, new investment, etc.), and they should only be awarded if the benefits outweigh the costs. In the end, it is not about favoring certain industries over others; it is about creating high-quality good-paying jobs, whatever industry they may be in.

And when asked about replacing the single business tax she stated:

Empirical evidence, economic theory, and personal experience show that tax cuts alone do not work to spur the economy.

Tax cuts alone don't spur the economy.  Funny that she didn't suggest a full replacement of the SBT and an increase in the income and sales taxes.  The fact we were facing a giant budget deficit certainly wasn't a secret last August (though the governor sure did her best to hide the magnitude).  

And if Donigan were to claim ignorance in the fall did it extend into 2007?  On her own state-funded House Democrat website the Representative pushes legislation that:

Gives companies that hire 100 percent Michigan workers priority in the awarding of tax breaks and other economic development tools.

Now why on earth would she hand out tax breaks?  Could it be because she knows, through empirical evidence, economic theory and personal experience that they help businesses grow?

She knew all of this but voted the party line anyways, to heck with Michigan.  It's one thing to blindly swear allegiance to a political party and to support them with your rhetoric.  It's another thing entirely to be one of the cogs of that political party, a moving piece in the apparatus that makes it go and to still, then, toss aside your principles, your experiences and your word to further policies that you know... that you absolutely KNOW will hurt the state you took an oath to serve.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is a pattern that Marie Donigan continues literally to this day.  John Edwards proudly heralded Donigan's support only a few months ago.  She's one of his top lieutenants on the ground in Michigan.  She has endorsed him for President of the United States of America.  But she voted NO when she had the chance to put his name back on the ballot this week.  

When it's all said and done and all of the dust settles you simply can't trust Marie Donigan.